


Time Falls Away

by Prettykitty473



Series: These Small Hours [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Demigod AU, Family Bonding, Gen, MomGwen, NOT MAXVID NO THANKS FAM, Rated T for swearing, Teenage Dadvid AU, camp camp-halfblood, dadvid, dadvid week, gwen loves horror movies and you can't convince me otherwise, headcanons, mentions of depression and suicide, more tags will probably be added later, rape mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-21 11:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12457131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prettykitty473/pseuds/Prettykitty473
Summary: Welcome to Dadvid Appreciation Week everyone!Day 1 - When David becomes DadvidDay 2 - Movie/TV Show AUDay 3 - MomGwenDay 4 - Teenage DadvidDay 5 - Imperfect family OR Holiday timeDay 6 - David adopting another camperDay 7 - Free writeLink to prompts in the first chapter!





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I've been excited to do this since I heard about it! Turns out, nearly all these prompts fit into a fic I was actually planning to write. (I have a whole document full of planning). It'll be called Little Wonders, and it should be popping up by Christmastime! So these oneshots, unless specified, will be canon-compliant with my upcoming fic, and will act as a teaser of sorts to it. =)
> 
> LINK TO PROMPT POST: https://dadvidappreciationweek.tumblr.com/post/165693836379/dadvid-appreciation-week-themes-list

_ Just over a month… not a bad time giving the circumstances. _ David took a deep breath, unbuckling his seat belt slowly. Was he ready? Was  _ Max  _ ready? The boy didn’t even know he was coming. Didn’t know that David had been preparing for this since the moment camp had ended.

***

_ “David, they aren’t coming.” It was finally past dark when Max spoke up. He’d been almost completely silent the whole day, aside from saying goodbye to his friends. The boy had watched everyone leave, then retreated to the Mess Hall to raid the last of the snacks. David and Gwen had tried multiple times to assure him that his parents would be there, that they were probably just stuck in traffic, but Max shut down any form of comfort. Gwen had tried calling the number provided on Max’s file early on into the evening, only to find that it was disconnected. The file didn’t give an address or alternative way to contact anybody. Max wasn’t any more resourceful. _

_ “We moved every few months. They could be anywhere in Oregon.” And that was that. David tried to remain positive, maintaining that they had to be on their way. It was a fake confidence, and everyone knew it. But anything was better than pity. _

_ It was the next day when David finally called the child protective services. He was out of options, aside from kidnapping the boy himself. But he knew he couldn’t do that. He knew how this worked. If his life taught him anything… _

_ Max looked tired when he was taken away. David was shocked at the lack of kicking and screaming. The boy looked so sad, so broken. Like he was seconds away from crying, but he just couldn’t let go of his pride. _

_ “I guess this is it, Camp Man. Thanks for trying. This summer… this was one of the least shittiest summers of my life.” His hands were in his hoodie pockets, and he was looking down. So _ small. _ David leaned down to hug him, squeezing harder when he felt tiny arms wrap around his frame. They stayed like that for a moment, but then the moment was over and Max was gone. _

_ The next day David walked into DHS and applied to become a foster parent. _

***

The building was relatively quiet, and David’s thoughts were booming in comparison.  _ What if he hates me for calling CPS? What if he was happier where he was at? What if I’m ruining his life even more by doing this? _ It wasn’t that David didn’t think he was doing the right thing, but Max was so unpredictable. David almost thought he had gotten through to the boy, but then camp ended. Now he didn’t know  _ where _ he stood. 

David stopped in front of a wooden door.  _ The _ wooden door. He heard a woman inside. “He’s due in any second, Max.”  _ Jennifer _ . She was the one who was in charge of getting Max to his new homes. She had helped keep David updated on where the boy was. One month, and three different homes. A bit extreme given the short time, but David knew how Max could be.

He was ready for it.

He turned the knob, pulling open the door. The first thing he saw was Jennifer’s perpetually-smiling face, and then the small frame in the seat in front of her. He had his back turned to the door, not giving so much as a glance whenever the door opened. David cleared his throat.

“I’m, uh, I’m here.” Max stiffened before whipping his head around.

_ “David?” _

***

“This is it.” David and Max walked through the door, Max’s meager amount of belongings distributed amongst the two - David with a trash bag in his arms and Max with a backpack slung across his shoulders.  “This is our, uh… home.” The older man walked over to the coffee table and set the bag on it. Max ventured slowly into the room, glancing around sparingly before he shuffled over to the couch and sat down. He pulled off his bag and set it on the ground by his feet. When he finally looked up, it was directly at David. He stared curiously up at the man before finally speaking up.

“Why am I here?” His tone lacked the normal amount of bite David had come to expect from the boy. He seemed smaller than ever. David rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“I know the situation is ideal, and I’m probably the last person you ever wanted to see, especially like this, but…” He sat down on the coffee table beside the bag, right in front of Max. The boy looked down, avoiding his gaze. “I really care about you, Max. I’m so sorry for what has happened. As soon as you were taken away from camp I took all the steps necessary to become a foster parent. I was hoping you wouldn’t be put in the system, but…” He sighed, trailing off.

Max didn’t look up. “That didn’t answer the question.”

“Max, you were my absolute favorite camper this year.” Max scoffed at that. “No, really. I think… I think I saw a bit of myself in you.” Max finally raised his head at this, looking ready to argue with the man. He didn’t speak, however, and David took his silence as a cue to keep going.

“It’s true that I haven’t been through what you have, but I do remember a time back when I was about your age that I was also disillusioned with life. I won’t go into too many details, since this isn’t about me, but... I’m an adopted child. My twin and I were adopted when we were babies, about one years old. I didn’t learn that fact until I was about nine, right before my first year of camp.” David shifted, looking up at the family picture he kept above the couch. “It didn’t even come from my parents. They didn’t want us to know until we were older, as if keeping that information from us was healthy. No, we had to learn it from our actual aunt.” His face grew almost sad at the memory. It was one he tried to not think about often.

“Long story short, our real mother chose a deadbeat boyfriend over her family which resulted in them never speaking again. Our aunt finally went looking for her ten years later only to find out from our mother’s old friend that she got pregnant, was left by her boyfriend, had us, got postpartum depression, and committed suicide.” David tore his gaze from the photograph to look down at the boy, flinching slightly at the shocked expression on Max’s face.

“Yeah, Sarah and I could’ve gone all our lives without knowing that many details over what happened. Sadly, our aunt didn’t have the tact to think of not mentioning all of that to us. So at nine years old I learned that I was in some way too much of a burden to my mother that she killed herself. I mean, I know that isn’t exactly what happened. There was a history of mental illnesses and a feeling of hopelessness that she couldn’t escape. But back then I couldn’t see that, I could only see what really happened, and the lie that my adopted parents gave us. I hated life, and I hated the world. It wasn’t until I got to camp that I felt that there was some escape to all of that.” David leaned in slightly, setting a hand on Max’s shoulder. The boy didn’t shrug him off.

“And that’s the part I’ve always seen in you. You look as if you hate life, as if you hate the world. And I’ve always wanted to help give you an escape from all that, like camp did for me.” David sighed. “But I guess life doesn’t work out like that. Still, I don’t ever want to stop trying from giving you the happiness I found. I know that life can be…  _ shitty _ . But things can also get better.” The man removed his hand, shrugging slightly as he leaned back.

“So, I guess you’re here because I’ve always cared about you. I’ve always wanted to see you have a good life, perhaps more so than any other camper. Growing up with stories of the foster system, I know that it doesn’t favor the kids that are in it. I don’t trust anybody else to give you the happy life, so I’ve taken matters into my own hands to try and give it to you myself. And I can’t promise to be the perfect guardian, but I do promise to do everything I can to give you a good life. The life you’ve always deserved.” Max grew more guarded at every word David spoke. He doubted the boy had ever been told that in his life.  _ He really does deserve the best. _

David picked up the trash bag beside him, standing up and smiling down at Max. “Enough of all that, though. Want to go check out your room? It’s a bit bland for now, but once you get settled in you can start molding it to your personality!” The upbeat voice was making a comeback, and Max looked almost grateful for the distraction. He grabbed his bag and stood up as well, following David into the next room. It was average, with a bed, dresser, and desk. Average, but already better than what he was used to. David walked over to the bed and set the bag down on it. 

“Do you want to get unpacked while I go ahead and make some dinner? I was thinking some spaghetti.” Max nodded softly, and David didn’t push him for further reaction.  _ He’s had to handle so much in such a short amount of time… _

Max set his own bag down as David pulled the door shut. He glanced around the room, from the bare walls to the desk to the bed that held the trash bag full of everything he was allowed to take. Everything that was allowed to be his.

It was too much. The end of summer, being sent to three different homes, only to be placed with the only adult he had ever felt actually cared about him. The one who made the call in the first place, but Max couldn’t blame him for that.  _ It’s not like anyone  _ wants _ to be stuck with me _ . He crawled onto the bed, curling into a ball.  _ This is just some twisted sense of duty. He’ll wake up soon enough.  _

The tear streaks were still visible when David came in to find the sleeping boy an hour later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come check out my Camp Camp sideblog on tumblr @ Campeyyydiem =)


	2. Day 2 - Escape from Camp Half-Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So awhile back I created a demigod AU for Camp Camp:  
> https://campeyyydiem.tumblr.com/post/166721208001/obligatory-demigods-au
> 
> I decided to redo the first episode of Camp Camp in the AU. Not as heavy on the Dadvid, but it's there if you squint. Sorry it's so late in the day, but I had to type on a tablet; if you haven't had to do that, know that it's time-consuming.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! =)

“Where the fuck are the monsters when you need them?” An agitated boy walked through the woods, followed closely by a half-man/half-goat person - a satyr.

“Now Max, there are plenty of camp-sanctioned activities where you can get your anger out in a positive and productive manner.” Max glared back at his companion. The satyr gave the boy a look of sympathy before perking up once more. “Besides! Camp has campers and campers means friends! I feel like you’re on the verge of breaking through to one of them!”

“You mean _break_ one of them. I’m not here for _friends_ , David. I’m not even fucking here out of my own free will. One of my parents decided to fuck a god and - oops! Here I am!” He took out his spear from across his back and started slashing at the underbrush.

The satyr, David, gave his smaller companion a look. “Hey, language.” Max whipped his spear around, pointing it at the older figure.

“Suck a dick, Goat Man!” His glare did nothing to deter the satyr, and he turned back around after a moment. Silence quickly followed, save for Max’s continuous slashing. After awhile of the two seemingly going nowhere, David finally spoke up.

“Hey Max, what are we even doing out here?” The boy let out a huff.

“Well you’ve decided that you permanently wanted to live on my ass,” David started to speak up at that, but Max quickly cut him off. “And me? Well I’m definitely not trying to find a way out of this fucking nightmare of a camp. Labyrinth? Never heard of it. Definitely didn’t hear it was near Zeus’ Fist.” The kid sped up walking as he spoke, as if he was afraid that the satyr would stop him. Again. David only let out a sigh.

“Max… look, I know you feel trapped, but it isn’t safe for you to venture outside of camp bounds. For one, you’re ten. You may have the fighting skill of an adult, but you’re still ten. You don’t…” His voice got quieter, hesitant. “...You don’t have anywhere to go, Max. You’ll just end back up on the streets. And the monsters have been getting worse lately. Not even the children of minor gods are safe anymore. I don’t… Look, I don’t want you to get hurt. I just want you and all the others to stay in camp and train and be safe. Is that too much to ask?” The two had stopped by that point, Max still facing away from David. His shoulders were tensed up, as if David’s words were attacking him. It was a moment of quiet before his shoulders relaxed and he finally spoke, turning to look at the satyr with a guarded expression.

“I refuse to believe that someone as caring as you could possibly exist.”

David opened his mouth to reassure the boy that _yes_ , he really did care about him and that _truly_ there were others who did as well, but a commotion rang out by the camp borders, effectively gaining the two’s attention. Before David could even tell Max to not rush into anything, the boy was off and running.

The sounds got worse the closer they got. There was screaming, at least two voices in the mix, and a deep roaring could be heard. When David and Max got to the edge of the camp, the sight wasn’t much better. An old satyr was circling around a large manticore, jabbing at it with a hook that was attached to its arm. Two kids that looked to be about Max’s age were climbing out of a bus that was crashed against a tree. Judging by the spine impaled into the bus, the manticore probably crashed it itself. The beast noticed the two’s arrival, and ignored the old satyr in favor of rushing towards them.

“You get the kids, I’ll handle this.” Max’s voice was calm despite the situation, and David knew he could hold his own in battle. Without wasting a second he went towards the bus, dodging a wayward spine that flew in his direction.

Max waited until the manticore was nearly upon him, spear out and at the ready. Once it was close enough he leaped into the air, successfully landing on the creature’s back. He jabbed the spear downward, but the beast jolted abruptly and caused the spear to only graze its face. Angrier, the manticore swung its tail wildly in Max’s direction, causing the boy to crouch down and hang onto the creature’s fur. Turning himself around, he managed to crawl towards the tail, clinging to it while holding on for dear life. He climbed up the tail, and cursed when the wild movement of the beast caused his spear to go flying off somewhere. Reaching the top, his eyes found the old satyr’s and he reached for him with one hand, while the rest of him clung tightly. Their hands found each other and the satyr wasted no time in taking his hook and swiping off the end of the beast’s tail. Ichor oozed out of the wound and trickled onto Max, who let go of the creature and fell ungracefully to the ground. He rolled away from the manticore in fear of being trampled on, and jumped to his feet when he reached a safe distance. His hands reached behind his back impulsively for his spear, and he cursed when he remembered it was flung off. No matter, it would return later. He quickly dug into his boot for his dagger and smiled when he felt the cool hilt in his hand. Not a spear, but the next best thing.

When he turned back to the fight he was surprised to see David in front of the manticore, playing his guitar and jumping around. Birds reacted to his music, swooping in and diving at the beast. It snarled and lunged at David, who managed to just barely jump out of the way.

It was time to end this.

“Hey, fucker! How about you pick on something that’s worth your time?” As predicted, the manticore turned towards Max and started rushing. It lunged, lowering its head in the process. Max was ready for it, jumping up onto its head and stabbing the dagger down through its skull. With a roar the beast turned into dust, leaving Max to fall in its wake.

He laid on the ground a moment, catching his breath. He couldn’t stop the smile that painted his face, too lost in the rush of a battle. _The only good thing about this shitty world._

All too soon David was rushing over. He fussed over Max as the boy picked himself up, checking for serious injuries. Once the satyr was satisfied that he wouldn’t die, Max turned his attention to two kids and satyr. He’d seen the old one around before, always grumbling and going about his business. Max didn’t even think he ever left camp, but life was full of surprises apparently. The kids were still reeling from the manticore attack. One - a girl with teal hair - looked excited, as if she hoped more would pop up. The other was a lanky boy who looked terrified at what just occurred. _Looks like someone has common sense._ David bounded over to the two, arms open and welcoming.

“Hello there! Welcome to Camp Half-blood! _My_ name is David, and _your_ name?” He reached his hand out to the girl, screaming when she bit it. She released it a moment later.

“Sorry, got caught up in the moment. Anyway, I’m Nikki!” She posed, which Max found no sense in but _whatever_. The girl, Nikki, nudged the boy next to her. “And this fuddy-duddy is Neil.” He glared at her response, but quickly turned back to David in concern.

“What _was_ that?”

“That, Neil, was a _manticore_. One of the creatures that Camp Half-blood protects demigods like you from.”

“Demi-wha-”

“Speaking of creatures, we should probably get over onto our side of the border. Wouldn’t want another attack, now would we?” Max looked ready to argue, but followed after the group anyway. Neil kept asking questions: _where are we, why are we here, how the hell am I going to get back home?_ David told the newcomers to save their questions for orientation, as if that was an actual answer to anything. Max slowed down, creeping backwards slowly as to not attract attention. Unfortunately, David turned around and took notice of the boy trying to escape.

“Max, you are not leaving my side for the rest of the day.” The satyr moved back by Max, and the younger grumbled in response.

“We’ll see about that, Goat Man.” The new arrivals finally acknowledged his presence.

“So what’s your deal?” Neil asked. Max sighed and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“I’m just a kid trying to survive out here, Neil.” The other didn’t look reassured at the response.

It wasn’t long before the group made it to the camp. Kids of varying ages milled about, and the clearing rang with chatter and swords clanging. David gave a happy sigh at the sight.

“And this is camp, kids! Where demigods can come to train, live, and _stay safe_.” He directed that last part at Max, giving the boy a look. Max chose to ignore him.

“Wait - I’ve heard about demigods before.” Neil got a faraway look in his eyes before he spoke once more, his voice sounding clinical. “ _The term demigod can refer to a minor_ [ _deity_ ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deity) _, a mortal or immortal who is the offspring of a god and a human being, or a figure who has attained divine status after death. They are generally Greek, Roman, or Norse._ ” He blinked, his eyes returning to normal. “But that’s impossible. Gods are myths, ways for humans to explain what was happening around them. They don’t actually exist.” David’s smile got wider.

“Oh, but they do! The Greek Gods and Goddesses followed the western influence and now reside here in America! They’re still influencing the world and having kids, just like back when civilization first started!” Neil looked ready to interject, but David surged on before he could. “But more about that later, let’s check out the camp!” The old satyr, who had been following along silently, finally spoke up.

“These kids are your problem now.” He stalked off without another word.

“Oh uh, bye QM! See you tonight at dinner!” The old satyr raised his hooked hand, continuing on. David stared after him a moment, but perked up when he saw another satyr coming out of a building.

“Gwen!” He waved wildly at her, and she gave a visible sigh before coming over. “Gwen, we have new campers!” The female satyr looked down at Nikki and Neil.

“I guess it was about time. It’s been a few months. Almost seemed like the Gods were keeping it in their pants.” She sighed again. “Knew it was too good to be true.”

“Now Gwen, new campers are a great thing! Just imagine what their talents and personalities can contribute to this cam-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there. Not now.” Gwen looked tired. “So are you going to take them to Chiron?”

“We were just heading to the Big House in fact!” Both satyrs ignored Neil's _we were?_ and walked off, the campers reluctantly following behind.

“Chiron is the founder of this camp. He's been training demigods like you for thousands of years! He created this camp to be a safe haven from monsters, while allowing demigods to practice their abilities and reach their full potential! Tell them how much you love it here Max!” The boy sighed, glancing at the two beside him.

“See, that's the sad thing. He still still thinks that I love it.”

“And who wouldn't!” He opened the door to the Big House, calling out Chiron’s name. An aging man walked out of the next room.

“Ah, Davey! My favorite nymph!” Gwen huffed.

“We're satyrs, sir.”

“What did I say, Gretchen?”

“Um, Mr. Campbell, sir, we were looking for Chiron?” David looked at Gwen apologetically. “We have new campers for orientation.”

“I can do it, Davey! No need to bother that old horse!”

“More like there's no reason to let him know you aren't doing what you're supposed to be doing.” Gwen mumbled out. Campbell pretended not to hear.

“Well there this video…”

“Video? Nonsense, Davey! Kids learn best from experience! Best to take them outside and show them the ropes ourselves!” A sound came from within the house, and Campbell started pushing everyone towards the door. “So let's go!”

Neil suck close to Max. “Should we trust this guy?” Max scoffed.

“I wouldn't trust this man not to slit our throats in our sleep. This place is a punishment from the gods, for somehow conning his way into immortality. Zeus wasn't really happy about that.” Max shrugged, but kept walking nonetheless. David was verbally giving out a tour, pointing out locations such as the arena and dining pavilion. Around them campers were going on about their day, some throwing curious glances at the newcomers.

“So here before us are the cabins! There is a cabin for each individual God or Goddess, including all the minor ones! Unclaimed campers stay in the Hermes cabin until they get claimed, which usually happens in the first day or tw-” He trailed off as a golden winged shoe appeared over Nikki’s head. “Ooh! Like that! Looks like your godly parent is Hermes!”

The girl looked above her head curiously, and the glow attracted the attention of other campers. A blonde girl walked over, and a chill came amongst the group as soon as she walked up.

“A new trickster, how cool.” A breeze blew back her hair and she smiled, holding out her hand. “I’m Erid.”

“I’m uh, um I’m Nikki.” The girl practically swooned under the other’s attention. The older girl didn’t seem to mind, smiling wider.

“Cool.”

“You’ll be sharing a cabin with Max!” David clasped a hand on the boy’s shoulders. Said boy looked away, a sour expression on his face.

“Your father is Hermes, too?” David’s smile faltered.

“Oh, uh-”

“I’m not talking about it.” Everyone quickly dropped the subject. In the small silence that followed two more boys walked up. One was tall with an obnoxious ruffle around his neck and the other was smaller, a paintbrush tucked behind his ear. The tall one quickly spoke up, his voice louder than necessary.

“FINALLY! NEW CAMPERS! ALLOW ME TO INTRODUC-”

“Shut the fuck up Preston.” The tall kid flinched at Max’s command, and stopped talking instantly. Max sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “The idiot who won’t stop yelling _even though I’ve told him to knock that shit off a thousand times already_ is Preston, and short stack over there is Dolph. They’re children of Apollo.” He looked up at Erid. “She's the daughter of Boreas, God of the east wind.” A commotion to the left of the group caught everyone's attention. A hulking boy was aggressively swinging a sword at a kid with a glass helmet on. The smaller boy had a shield and was cowering.

“Nurf!” David called out, “you know Space Kid is still new to fighting!” He moved forward to break them up, but was stopped by Campbell.

“The boy will never learn if you step in, Davey. Sometimes you just have to get the shit beat out of you until you get better.” David frowned at his words, and Max drowned out his reply. He turned back towards Nikki and Neil.

“Nurf is here year-round, so you should probably learn to deal with him. Child of Ares, he talks with his fist. If you can beat him in the arena he'll usually leave you alone, so you should probably pick a weapon later and start practicing.” He glanced at Space Kid, who was tossed to the side by the larger male. “Space Kid's name is Neil, but we've all agreed to ignore that fact. His father is Zelus, God of zeal and devotion. His kids get transfixed on a subject and devote their entire existence to it. As you can probably fucking guess, Space Kid wants to launch himself into the moon. If I could, I'd throw him there myself. If you value your sanity you won't get caught by him.” Nikki’s eyes widened.

“What happens if you do?”

“Hope you love hearing about space. Or that you have a weapon on hand.” He looked off to the side, noticing two more kids approaching. “Jesus- _fucking_ -Christ don't these people have activities to be at?”

“Max!” A girl called out as she walked towards the group, a lisp noticeable. “Who are the new kids?” The boy that accompanied her lightly shoved her to the side, speaking up.

“Yeah, Max, when did they get here?”

Max took on a sarcastic tone. “I don't know guys, you should probably ask them!” His voice returned to normal, and he addressed the newcomers. “Nerris and Harrison. Children of Hecate. Don't let them fool you - they can't stand each other.” The two got defensive over that.

“Harrison is just jealous that I'm the best sibling.” Nerris crossed her arms.

“I just can't understand what would make you believe such a lie.” Harrison crossed his own arms.

“Oh here we fucking go.” Max grumbled under his breath.

“I mean,” Nerris’ voice raised, “I _am_ the best spellcaster at camp. And _you_ can barely levitate an apple! She's the Goddess of _magic_ , after all.”

“But she also controls the _Mist_ , which is something _I_ can do but _you_ can't.”

“Well-”

“ _And_ I'm done caring. You two can take this elsewhere.” Max shoved in between the two, effectively splitting them up. He didn't notice Neil growing increasingly agitated beside him.

“That's it, I've had _enough_ of this!” Neil suddenly shouted, getting everyone's attention. “I don't know what TV station or group you guys are with, but I'm _done_ ! This prank stopped being funny the moment I was _slammed_ against a _tree_ ! And you _will_ hear from my mother's lawyers about that!” Max looked impressed for the first time that day. Gwen sighed.

“Look kid, this isn't a-”

“No!” Neil cut her off. “Don't _even_ finish that sentence! Do you honestly expect me to believe that gods and monsters exist? I'm a man of _science_! I believe in facts, in the things I can see and experiment with! Not this fairytale bullshi-” He gets cut off my a sharp glow above his head, the shape of a bow visible to everyone.

“APOLLO?” Preston was shouting again, but Max was too shocked to say anything.

“I would've pegged you as Athena, myself.”

“Apollo is the God of many things,” a voice boomed out from behind. Everyone turned around to see a centaur walking up. Chiron. “Amongst those things is logic and reason - something that every scientist strives towards. Congratulations, boy - you're the first kid I've seen this century that has those traits of his.” The half-man/half-horse took notice of Campbell, who was trying to escape. “Ah, yes. And how are the stables coming along, Campbell?” The man turned around and the two started to argue, giving Max a headache.

“Gods, I just want to be _away_ from this place.”

Neil nodded. “I hear that.”

“You two wanna make a break for it?” Nikki turned away from the camp guardians to look at the boys.

“Why would _you_ help _us_?” She shrugged.

“I'm an agent of chaos. Hey David!” The satyr turned towards the trio. “Didn't you have a guitar earlier? Why don't you play us something to bring us all together?” David lit up at that.

“What a great idea, Nikki!” He pulled a guitar out of seemingly nowhere and started strumming. Once everyone's attention was pulled in the trio broke into a sprint.

“Where are we going?” Neil yelled.

“To the stables! We can fly a pegasus out of here!”

“I think I sense a shortcut!” Nikki grabbed the boys’ hands and pulled them along with her, jumping down a hole and into a below-ground pathway. The boys didn't have time to be surprised as Nikki led them through, running as fast as they could. Above them they could hear Gwen and David shouting for them.

“Max, you're being a bad influence on our new campers!”

The trio popped up above ground a few feet away from the stables. The adults weren't too far behind them.

“Max, hurry!” David quickly gained on the boy, reaching out to grab him. In a burst of quick thinking Nikki pulled a small object out of her pocket and threw it at the satyr, hitting him and causing him to fall down. The other adults were slowed, and the three quickly jumped onto the back of a pegasus.

“Remember this face, David, cause you'll never see it again!” Max laughed as the pegasus took off flying away from the camp…

...Only to turn right around and return to the stables. Gwen stood there with her arms crossed.

“Honestly, Max, how far did you expect to make it?” She shook her head as the kids were bucked off onto the ground. David appeared beside them, rubbing his forehead.

“Well kids, I hope we all learned something today!”

“No!” Max picked himself off the ground, helping his companions up as well. “I hope _you_ learned something. Before today you only had _one_ little bastard to deal with.” He put his arms around the others. “Now you have three. Come on, guys. I'll go take you to pick out weapons.” Nobody stopped them as they left. Chiron turned towards Campbell, directing him to the stables. David and Gwen watched the kids go.

“This is going to be a awful.” Gwen groaned.

“Oh come on Gwen, look at the bright side! Max finally made some friends!” His friend nodded softly.

“It's about time. Maybe he'll finally have a reason to wanna stay.” David sighed happily and took out his guitar, strumming on it lazily. For the first time that day there was peace, along with a sense that maybe everything would turn out okay.

***

That night the campfire burned brighter than it had in years. And when David caught Max’s eyes during one of the nightly songs, he could’ve sworn he saw the boy smile back at him.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a tumblr? Check me out @ Campeyyydiem =)


	3. Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter in canon with my upcoming fic! 
> 
> (For anyone curious, Daniel is an inmate at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Oregon. Also, David [and Daniel] have a twin [triplet?] sister named Sarah. Sarah works at the School for the Deaf in Salem.)

Max awoke to the sun in his eyes. He never got to stay in bed late enough for the sun to reach that far into his room. Confused, he looked over to the clock on his desk. 11:47. David always woke him up by ten at the latest. Now growing concerned, he crawled out of bed and padded into the living room. Nobody was there. He tried the kitchen next, with similar results. He became more frantic in his actions, tearing into David’s room with hopes that the man just didn’t wake up on time. Said hopes were dashed by the pristinely-made bed, the room clearly David-free. He quickly went back to the main areas, expecting to see at least a note of some sort. Nothing. It’s like the man had vanished in thin air, and Max was split between alarm and anger.  _ How dare the fucker switch things up like this. _

As a last resort he walked to Gwen’s door, knocking loudly. “Gwen, you better fucking be in there! This shit got real old real fast!” He was awarded by a shriek followed by a crash, with footsteps coming down the steps moments later. Gwen opened the door to find the boy scowling up at her, arms crossed.

“Where the fuck is David?” She looked around the empty house, seeming perplexed herself. She suddenly remembered the night before and breathed a sigh of relief at the clarity. 

“I almost forgot - he’s going to see Daniel today.” She winced at the ex-cultist’s name, knowing that it was a sore spot for Max. She rushed on. “He also talked about maybe spending some time with his sister while he was in town.” She yawned, running a hand through her hair. “What time is it?”

“Almost noon. David would shit bricks if he knew we were asleep this late.” Gwen chuckled at that.

“I won’t tell if you won’t.” She stepped out of the stairway and towards the kitchen. “You hungry?”

“Fucking  _ starving _ .”

“ _ Same. _ ” She rifled through the cabinets, pulling out a mix for pancakes. “This sound good?” Max nodded, and she went to the fridge and pulled out the rest of the ingredients. Max lounged in a kitchen chair, watching her. Weekend breakfast was a social time in the household, and usually everyone got involved. David loved experimenting with recipes, and was always up for trying new and complicated foods. Max suspected that Gwen got as much enjoyment out of it as David did, bringing forth recipes of her own to try. They were usually of the spicier variety, much to the boy’s delight. David was a bit more hesitant when it came to her recipes, but would try each one no matter what.

Max would never say it out loud, but cooking with David and Gwen was one of his favorite past times. 

Pancakes, however, were easy to make. So Max sat around and watched, and Gwen whipped up a batch in no time. 

“ _ Bone app the teeth. _ ” Gwen sat a plate of pancakes and syrup in the middle of the table, going back to the kitchen to grab two plates and forks. She noticed Max’s expression when she came back. “Oh come on now, my friends would’ve appreciated that.”

“You have friends?” Max quipped back at her, and she rolled her eyes good-naturedly. 

“Ha ha, so incredibly original.” She smiled at him. “You’re getting rusty.”

“It’s an off-day, Gwen. Sue me.” The two dug into their pancakes, the room abnormally silent. David usually took meal times to talk, and without him the room felt… empty.

They quickly finished eating, and Max put up the extra pancakes and syrup while Gwen loaded up the dishwasher. They stood around awkwardly after they finished.

“So, uh…” Gwen rocked back and forth on her heels. “Do you wanna come up to my room and play Mario Kart?” Max looked surprised at the offer, but recovered quickly.

“Sure.”

The pair walked up the stairs to the attic, Max looking around as soon as they reached the room. This was only the third time he’d ever been up there. It was slightly cluttered, with clothes on the floor and various objects stacked on her desk next to her laptop. A large TV was in the corner, a Wii hooked up to it. Gwen walked over and turned on the console. She handed Max a controller. “Make yourself at home.” He got on the bed and leaned against the wall, taking one of her various throw blankets and wrapping it around himself.

“Not a bad set up.” She joined him on the bed, grabbing a blanket of her own.

“Oh yeah this definitely beats my last room.” She select a grand prix, and Max connected his controller. “I’ve always thought about living in an attic, but I didn’t think these bedrooms actually existed? This is the first house I’ve been in where it wasn’t just boards and insulation.” They picked their characters, Gwen going with Toad while Max picked Luigi. They started out with the Mushroom Cup, allowing Max to get used to the controls. Gwen easily won that one. After that they did the Star Cup, where Max somehow beat Gwen by three points. He gloated about it, until she put on the Special Cup, with Rainbow Road. All her years of practice had led her to that moment, and she did not disappoint. After wiping the board with Max the boy decided he’d had enough, and went over to her movie case to check out what she had. 

“I’ll be real, I didn’t peg you for a horror movie fanatic.” She got off her bed and joined him.

“Yeah, it was something that my uncle and I always did together, before he moved away. We call and talk sometimes, and he’ll always ask me if I’ve seen the latest stuff. So horror movies still act as a bonding topic for us.” She looked down at the collection she’d grown over the years: every  _ Saw _ , every  _ Halloween _ , the  _ Jeepers Creepers _ double-movie box set - and that only filled up one row. Her case was 90% horror movies, something that she felt pride in.

“This is way different than David’s movie case.” She laughed at that, thinking of his disney movie collection.

“He’s so soft I don’t think he’s actually seen a horror movie in his life.” Max snorted, and nodded in agreement. He seemed preoccupied with the DVD in his hands.  _ IT _ . 

“Aren’t they remaking this one next year?”

“Yeah, sometime in the fall. Have you seen this one yet?” He shook his head, and she held out her hand to take the case. “You want to?” He nodded and handed her the movie, heading towards the stairs.

“Mind if I get some snacks?” 

“Only if you get me some, too.” He disappeared down the steps and she put the DVD in. Grabbing the remote, she headed back to her bed, not starting the movie until Max returned. “Hell yeah, popcorn!” He handed her a bag, along with a Dr. Pepper. This kid knew her well. 

“So this movie was actually aired as a mini-series in 1990, and they just put all of them together into one movie. I hear that next year they’re going to split the movie into two parts, one when they’re kids and the other when they’re adults.” Max listened to her trivia, digging into his snacks. 

“If this doesn’t end up being shitty, we should see it next year.” Gwen took a sip of her drink.

“Totally, dude.” The two stopped talking as the movie started. Every so often one would lean in to comment to the other about the movie, but it was relatively quiet save for the movie itself. Gwen had to give Max credit - the boy really didn’t scare easily.

“I think the director got this confused with a comedy.” Gwen snorted.

“Yeah, he’s really not the scariest. But I guess he was trying to scare _ kids _ , so it’d probably work on them. Also, it  _ was _ 1990\. We’ve had a couple decades to improve.”

Max stretched once the movie was over. “Yeah, I wanna see the remake when it comes out. I bet it’ll be hella good.” Gwen checked the time on her phone.

“So it’s probably still gonna be awhile before David gets back. Wanna pick out another?” Max got up and ejected  _ IT _ , picking out another movie and popping it in. Gwen grinned when she saw the title come on the screen.

“ _ Blair Witch Project _ ? Now  _ that’s _ a good one.” Max returned, grinning as well.

“So I’ve heard.”

***

David was surprised at the lack of activity when he walked into the house. “Gwen? Max?” He called out softly, miffed when he received no response. He went into his foster son’s room, finding it empty. “Max?” He tried again, to no avail.  _ Maybe Gwen would know? _

He walked towards the stairs, pausing when he heard voices coming from above. “That isn’t going to help you, you useless fucktard!” That was obviously Max, and David could hear Gwen laughing at the comment.  _ So they’re upstairs. _ David opened the door softly, padding up the steps lightly. He peeked up in the room, only to find Max and Gwen leaning into each other, matching grins adorning their faces. He looked to the TV and could instantly tell it was a horror movie. Grimacing to himself, he stepped upwards. 

“Hey guys, I hop-” He got cut off by their shrieks, and ducked from an object that came flying at him. “Good golly!” He stared open-mouthed at the two, who had erupted into laughter.

“Oh damn, I’m sorry David!” Gwen was clutching at her sides. David turned around to see what was flung at him. The remote. He picked up the batteries that had flown out, putting the object back together before crossing the room to give it back. Max was clinging on to Gwen, looking happier and more carefree than David had ever seen. It made his heart swell.

“Well, looks like you two have had a fun day.” And indeed it had. Soda cans and snack wrappings were discarded on the floor, and the two were arranged in a cocoon of blankets and pillows. Max, remembering his dignity, tried to look cool and passive.

“Yeah, it was alright. Gwen isn’t the worse person to be stuck with, I guess.”

“You  _ guess _ ?” The woman grabbed a pillow, slamming down onto the boy’s face. Max shrieked in surprise, and the two struggled with the pillow a moment before tiring out. David watched them, amused.

“Well it looks like neither of you have eaten any real food today, so what do you say we go and make some dinner?” Max perked up at that.

“Homemade pizza?” David thought about what ingredients they had.

“Yeah, I think we have everyth-” The boy was up and down the stairs before David could finish his sentence. The man couldn’t help but chuckle at that. He looked down at Gwen.

“He didn’t give you any trouble today, did he?” She shook her head, smiling.

“Naw. He may be a handful at times, but he really is a good kid. Today’s actually been… really fun.” She looked surprised, as if she had only realized that. She got up out of her cocoon and stretched, turning to David.

“We’d better go before he starts without us.” She patted his shoulder and started for the stairs, David following behind. Max was already pulling meat and vegetables out of the fridge when they got downstairs.

“You aren’t going to get very far without the crust.” Gwen rushed forward to join the boy, and David stood back and watched them for a moment. They danced around each other, Max opening up a can of tomato sauce and pouring it in a pan while Gwen measured out flour for the dough. The two looked so at home in their little kitchen. To think, only months prior David had lived alone. Now he couldn’t imagine his life without those two in it.

Gwen noticed him staring. “Well come on, David! Earn your meal!” Max laughed, and David shook his head, smiling fondly. With one last glance, he walked into the kitchen and joined Gwen and Max - his  _ family _ \- in making dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Come talk Camp Camp with me on tumblr @ Campeyyydiem!


	4. Day 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not exactly a fic, but my own personal headcanons on how to make the Teenage Dadvid AU legal (in the eyes of the American justice system - maybe it's okay as-is elsewhere and I just don't know).

I’ll be real, Teenage Dadvid AU is the cutest thing ever. _But_ … it’s typically not very realistic? Not to be a stickler on legalities, but you can’t just pick up a random baby and call it yours. Even if you find it in the trash or something, there are processes that every baby has to go through ( _in America, at least!_ ). _Shots_ , for one. Babies must go to the hospital and get shots. And to go to any hospital, or even clinics, a baby must have a _birth certificate_ and a _social security number_. Which aren’t just things you can randomly go and get willy-nilly. Those last two are things people need throughout their entire lives, so it’s not feasible to not get them. And to get them, you have to have legal custody of the child. “But if David finds him and reports him, he can fight to have custody over him!” Sorry guys, but in the American legal system, they don’t hand out babies to teenagers. Even if they’re emancipated. And if we’re trying to go with the correct age gap, David would be 14 when he gets Max.

 _But_ I’ve thought it through and there’s a very legal way that David could successfully get custody of Max: he knows the mom, and she gives him full rights. Now, this scenario can run multiple ways:

  * First off, David can be 14 or 16 or whatever age you want him. 14 if he has a supportive family backing him up, 16 if he’s emancipated (but raising a kid is hella hard on your own js).
  * The mom undoubtedly has to be Indian. Max gets those genes from somewhere.
  * One option is that David and the mom are best friends, an inseparable duo (until after Max is born, then her parents move her away and they don’t speak much since).
  * Another option is that David heard her crying one day in the school halls (he went on a bathroom run) and went to her to see what was wrong (because he’s so sweet an empathetic and I just love him for it).
  * Either way, he gets the story out of her: She went to a party (or other similar event) that her parents would absolutely kill her for if they found out (figure of speech - no murder here, folks!) and she got raped and is pregnant and doesn’t know what to do because she doesn’t believe in abortion but her parents can’t find out the truth and etc.
  * David, in a burst of heroism, says to claim that he’s the father. (Tears really get to him, man. He’d do anything to help others). They could give the baby up for adoption after it’s born, but for now have an actual story as to how she got pregnant.
  * It becomes a school-wide scandal, both sets of parents are shocked. I think David would eventually fess up to his mom what really happened, and she’d probably be a little proud that he was doing a good thing. But he’d have to beg to her not to go to the girl’s parents with the truth (unless you’re going emancipated route, then she isn’t in the picture much and doesn’t really give a fuck).
  * Fast-forward to the girl giving birth. All is set up for the baby to be given to the system… until David holds Max for the first time. In that moment he realized he would die for the boy.
  * He refuses to give Max up, the girl is distressed because she wants nothing to do with the baby and David’s mom is all like “you’re a teen not an adult you’re not ready for a baby” but then she sees his determination and caves (or, if emancipated, she’s not there and David gets to make his own decisions in life). The girl’s family wants nothing to do with Max either. So they sign away full custody of the child.
  * Either the girl or David would move away after that, maybe even both. They can get fresh starts in new schools and maybe towns, and the scandal wouldn’t follow them.



 

And then David and Max lived happily-ever-after. The end.

(Of course, you can make your own variation of this, but I think this is a good template to go off of to make the AU legal.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, you can hit me up on tumblr @ Campeyyydiem =)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so late! It's almost midnight where I live. I was at classes, then was working on homework for five hours, only to get whisked away to work as a zombie for a haunted trail the science department was putting on. I started on this as soon as I could - I didn't even get the makeup off. I'm working with one eye here.
> 
> In case you want to see:  
> http://prettykitty473.tumblr.com/post/166837043839/so-i-was-working-a-haunted-trail-tonight-as-a
> 
> But yeah enjoy. =)

“What do you mean you’ve never celebrated Halloween?” It wasn’t David’s absolute  _ favorite _ holiday, but it was up there. He didn’t know why Max wasn’t getting into the spirit, until he asked the boy.

“Didn’t realize I stuttered, David.” His signature scowl adorned his face. “Halloween is for losers to play dress up and get candy. It’s stupid, and I don’t do stupid shit.” His nose flared at his words - he was lying. It hadn’t even been a month yet since the boy came to live with him, but David was already learning his tells. Max’s nose flares were obvious. 

David tried going a different route.

“Okay, you got me there. Dressing up can be lame, and candy isn’t that special when you can just go buy it at the store.  _ But _ there are scary movies. And decorations. And scaring other people.” Max started becoming interested as David spoke, although he tried to hide it. David faked nonchalance. “I dunno, it kinda seemed right up your alley.” He could tell he had the boy hooked.

“Please, what do you know about scaring?” David grinned.

“Me? Not too much, I’ll admit. But  _ Sarah _ ?” While Halloween wasn’t his favorite holiday, it  _ was _ his twin’s. The duo was known for their effects. Sarah’s effects, really. David was just good at following directions. “In fact, I could see if she’ll come over this weekend and decorate the house.”

The house belonged to both the twins, bought with their inheritance from their adoptive father. However, Sarah worked for the Oregon School for the Deaf as a dorm supervisor, and lived at the school while it was in session. She came home for the holidays, and took care of the house while David was at camp. 

But she still came by and decorated for every holiday. 

Max had only seen the woman once, soon after he came to live with David. She didn’t have quite as much energy as David, which the boy was thankful for. Other than that, he didn’t know how to gauge her.

“Do you guys have decorations already?” David nodded his head towards the attic. 

“Up there, yeah, some. Sarah likes to switch it up every year, so we go to Portland to get fresh supplies.” He chuckled to himself. “She really loves going overboard with the fake blood.” The boy looked impressed at the mention of blood. “You know, if you have any ideas over how to scare others, we could use another perspective.”

“Yeah, alright, I’ll do it. But only because you clearly need me.” David held up his hands. 

“No arguments here.”

***

“Jesus David, you only took a whole year to get here.” David and Max walked up to where Sarah was waiting, right outside of Spirit Halloween. “Hey Max!” The boy waved at her with one hand, which was more than she had gotten last time they met.

The three entered the store, and Max’s eyes went wide. The most Halloween thing he’d ever seen was the typical shit you’d find at Walmart. His parents didn’t believe in the holiday, never bothered with it. Max had always felt left out at school, where the other kids would talk about what they’d dress up as, or how much candy they’d gotten. After a few years that he had wanted nothing to do with the holiday. 

But he wasn’t with his parents anymore.

They didn’t want him.

But… David  _ did _ . Max looked at the man, who was chatting happily with his sister. The man that had rushed through the fostering license process just to get guardianship of Max. It made the boy feel weird. Even just thinking about it was weird. He scowled and turned his attention elsewhere, finding that they were nearing the costume section.

“David, we have to match. I don’t care if nobody will see us together on Halloween - it’s the principle of the thing! If we don’t, then I don’t even know why I have a twin.” The woman shrugged, and laughed when David gave her a look.

“Fine,” the man relented. “But I want it to be better than last Halloween. The straw was really itchy…” He frowned at the memory while his twin rifled through the costumes.

“Witch? No. Ninja? Cool but no. Zombie? I mean, I can pull it off, but you wouldn’t know how to do your makeup.” David nodded at that, and started going through them with her.

“We can go as minions!” David held out the offending yellow costume, and his twin glared daggers into his soul.

“I’m going to do you a favor and pretend like I didn’t just see or hear anything.” She turned around, coming back up a few moments later. “Oh hey, they have Luigi! He’s my favorite.” She smiled down at the costume.

“Luigi is the brother that can’t take a hint that he’s not welcome.” Max smirked up at the woman as he spoke. She gave a smirk of her own.

“Say that when we’re passing you in Mario Kart. We’ll see who the better brother is.” She looked over at David, who grinned sheepishly.

“I was always Mario, she was always Luigi… I never won.” He rubbed the back of his neck, laughing at the memories. “Oh man, if we find a Mario, I’m totally in!” Sarah looked for a minute before finding him.

“Ha! I got you, bro!” She put both costumes in the basket. “Now if we can find a Toad costume for Max…”

The boy scrunched his brows. “Who said I’m dressing up?” Sarah looked surprised at his words.

“Oh, you aren’t?” She almost seemed sad at that, and Max quickly interjected.

“I didn’t say that.” Now it was David’s turn to look surprised, although he refrained from voicing it. Max saw it though, and sighed. “Look, dressing up is stupid, but I think I’d look stupider if I didn’t and you guys did.” Sarah looked unsure.

“So is that…?”

“Yeah, find me the stupid fucki- _ flipping _ costume.” David had spoken to Max when he first moved in about his language use - acceptable in the house around him (or Gwen whenever she visited), but to try and not use it in public. It was pretty generous, given that the man himself didn’t curse, and so Max did what he could to respect that. David looked proud at his efforts. 

They went over to the kid’s costume section, finding the Toad costume within minutes. Sarah clasped her hands together.

“Now comes the fun part. The  _ decorations _ .”

***

The trio lugged the bags from the car to the house. It was around noon, so they had the rest of the day to get the place in order. David chose to make them lunch while Max and Sarah decorated the outside of the house.

“Loser.” Sarah teased as soon as David was gone. “He’s missing the best part.” She went into the backyard, appearing a moment later with a shovel. “Alright Max - if you were a skeleton, where would you fall and waste away at?” Max snorted at her wording, and looked around. 

“I think I’d lose the will to live somewhere around the front porch. Once you enter, it’s hell.” Sarah laughed and nodded, setting up the police tape around the nearby tree and porch.

“Good choice, I can really work with this area.” She motioned for the stapler, and Max handed it to her. “Have you ever used spray paint before?” Max hesitated before nodding. She snorted. “Yep. Okay, can you take one of the skeletons out onto the sidewalk and hit him with some of that cream?” Max pulled out the can she specified, dragging out a skeleton and coating it while Sarah dug a small square pit. After she was done she came and inspected his work.

“Oh yeah, that looks a bit more realistic.” Once it was dry they moved it, packing it around the dirt. And that was just the beginning of their work. By the time lunch was finished the yard had a creepy fence around it, pumpkin faces impaled onto it. After a food break David joined them, digging a hole for a pallet to go down into. Arms reached out of the pallet, and a red light was installed underneath. Sarah added blood and more bones around the original skeleton, upping the gore factor. Max got his hands red and slid them down the door and windows. A web was hung on the porch, with a large spider placed on the roof, smaller spiders of various sizes placed around it. Lights were placed in the trees and bushes to look like eyes, and a graveyard took up half of the yard. A fog machine was placed at the end of it.

“You better turn this on for Halloween. Don’t let my efforts go to waste.” Sarah was serious, and Max was living for it. 

“This isn’t the worst setup I’ve ever seen. I could do better if I had more time. Next year.” He promised, already thinking of things they could do. David smiled at the boy’s cooperation.

“So Max, you trick-or-treating, or passing out candy?” Sarah stretched after a long day’s work, knowing that the inside hadn’t even been touched - a project for tomorrow. The boy shrugged.

“Trick-or-treating seems lame… but Neil’s doing it, and he wanted me to go with him. So I don’t know.” He seemed like he was about to close himself off, so David quickly changed the subject.

“Well it’s another week away, so you have time to decide! For now, how about you two get cleaned up while I make some dinner?” Indeed, the two was covered in leaves and dirt and fake blood. They all trudged inside to clean up and eat.

Sarah and Max discussed movies over dinner. David tuned out some of the details, not being one for gore or blood. He was happy to see the two get along, however.  _ To think that it was just me last year. _

David never realized how lonely the house was, until he suddenly didn’t live alone. While he wasn’t expecting to have a kid so soon, especially under such circumstances, he already knew that it was the best decision he could’ve ever made.

_ And this is only the start, Max. Just wait until Christmas. _ He man smiled to himself. 

It felt good to have a family.


	6. Day 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harrison deserves better.

“I’m just saying that rice cakes are the healthier option. If you’re going to snack, it should at least be good for you.” David walked down the school halls with Max. The day was done and they were finally free to leave. Usually Max left before David, with Gwen, but for whatever reason the boy had decided to stay back and play on his DS while the man finished up work. It was now an hour later and the two were ready to go home, where Max insisted he’d get a snack. However, the boy wasn’t known for his great choices.

“And all I’m saying is that potato chips come in a conveniently small bag and aren’t filling enough to ruin my dinner. The healthy crap comes from meals, not snacks. Besides - fats are on the food pyramid. I  _ need _ them, David.” The man was about to argue ( _ potato chips have  _ no _ place on that pyramid thank you very much _ ) when his eyes caught movement up ahead. A kid was walking down the hall, looking around. David immediately switched to authority mode.

“Excuse me, what are you doing?” The kid turned around, and David was shocked to find that he knew the kid. Max did, too.

“Harrison?” His ward all but screamed, his voice bouncing around the halls. “What the fuck are you doing here?” David gave a side-eye at the boy’s language choice, but addressed the other.

“I didn’t know you went to school here.” Harrison winced, but walked towards the two. 

“I just started today, actually. I was just talking to… um, Miss Emmons, I think it was? Sorry, names run into each other after awhile.” He rubbed his arm nervously.

“Oh well that’s great! Is your brother going here too? I didn’t see him today, but if I remember correctly he should be about kindergarten level…” Harrison interjected.

“Oh, no, he doesn’t go here… Um, it’s just me.” He smiled unconvincingly, surprisingly stressed. 

“What, did you make him disappear again?” Max snickered at his own comment, but stopped when David lightly shoved on his shoulder. “Oh what, I was just ki-” He stopped when he saw Harrison’s expression. The boy looked ready to cry. David crouched down.

“Harrison, what’s wrong?” Harrison sniffled and looked away.

“I, uh, I don’t see him anymore. He didn’t disappear!” He looked back, eyes wide in defense. They lowered again as he continued on. “But I um, I kinda don’t live with him anymore… or my parents.” David placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, and Harrison leaned in for a hug. Max looked away, not wanting to watch the boy cry into his foster dad’s shoulders. It was a private moment, and he felt bad for intruding on it.  _ I should've kept my mouth shut.  _

David was rubbing circles onto the boy’s back. “Well at least you’re here and I can see you from time to time. You know you can come to me for anything, right?” The boy shook his head, and it took a moment for him to choke out a reply.

“David, I’m not going to be here long. The longest I’ve lasted at a school this entire year has been five weeks. But… but they were strong. Not many foster parents are.” Max clenched his fists in anger. School started four months ago - who knows where Harrison had been shipped off to, how many new homes he had to be in.

Harrison pulled away a few minutes later, rubbing at his eyes. He gave a wobbly smile. “But at least I can see you guys while I’m here. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen anyone I knew.” He grabbed his bag, which had fallen to the ground beside him. “I uh, I have to go now. My foster parents will be wondering where I am.” He gave David one last hug and waved at Max, who nodded back at the boy softly. The two watched Harrison walk away, a silence falling over them. David was trying to gather his thoughts when a body bumped lightly into his own. He looked down at his foster son. 

“You know,” Max stared off towards where Harrison left, an unreadable expression on his face. “I’ve always wanted a brother.”

 

***

 

Harrison moved in two weeks later, right into Sarah’s old room. The woman had insisted that David give it to him, saying that she’d renovate the garage into her own personal space.  _ It’s not like we use the garage anyway. _ The boy watched David and Gwen move his bags in, stuttering about how they didn’t need to do this, and were they sure about this? He really wasn’t safe to be around…

Gwen snorted at that. “Kid, I survived through the most difficult summer of my life. Living with you will be a piece of cake.”

Even Max was getting in on welcoming the boy, offering to let him play on his DS. “You ever play on these before? No? Well get ready to get schooled.” Harrison was overwhelmed at everyone’s attention.

He didn’t feel comfortable the first night he spent there. He didn’t feel comfortable the first week he spent there. He didn’t even feel comfortable the first month he spent there. Every night he went to bed feeling like he was happier than ever before, and every night he was sure that it’d be the last night he got to spend with them. _ They aren’t safe around me. I can’t control my powers, I’ll scare them off. _

It took time to convince him that he was loved and that he wasn’t going anywhere. But after awhile he realized that he truly had a home.

He once again had a family.


	7. Day 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's life changed in such a short period of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is it, folks! The last day of Dadvid Week. This chapter acts as the ultimate spoiler for my upcoming fic, Little Wonders. I've been planning the fic since school started for the fall semester, and I plan on writing and posting the first of it during winter break. This week has acted as an introduction into writing for the Camp Camp fandom, and I've been really happy with the feedback! It's made me even more exited for Little Wonders to begin!
> 
> As always, you can come and talk with me on tumblr at Campeyyydiem (my CC sideblog) or even Prettykitty473. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Life had a funny way of dramatically changing in a short period of time. 

Max had expected to always live with the shitty adults he was forced to call his parents. It was day in and day out of neglect, with no real end in sight. While he hated the arrangement, he assumed it was a mutual thing - he’d be raised by terrible people, and said terrible people would be forced to deal with him. It was sad, yet reliable.

But then he got picked up from camp by Child Protective Services.

David expected to meet the love of his life and get married and potentially have a child of his own. Growing up as an adopted kid with parents who volunteered for DHS, he always harbored the possibility of fostering or adopting, but that was a long ways off. For now, he was content to work the summers as a counselor for his favorite camp, while being a kindergarten teacher the rest of the time. It was fun, stable.

But then his boss got arrested and the camp fell onto him. 

But then Max got taken away.

Gwen didn’t know what to expect out of life. With two dead-end degrees, the world proved harsher than she was prepared for. The camp was her last-ditch effort, and even that was failing. She had no backup job, no game-plan, and she knew that she was months away from moving back in with her parents. 

But then David came to her with a proposition.

One month later and Max moved in with David. Not as an adopted son - that would take more time for DHS to assess the situation - but as his foster son. The first few weeks were quiet, while Max tried to come to terms with the fact that David cared enough about him to take him in. After that came a few weeks of rebellion, where Max tried to push David to the limit. The man was resilient, however, and after awhile the two settled into a comfortable and respectful relationship with one another.

Gwen was thankful that David decided to co-own the camp with her, allowing her to book the site for winter campers and help take care of the advertising and finances. She was even more thankful that he managed to get her a job as a secretary for his school. For the first time since she could even remember, life was looking up. Until her roommate decided that she was going to move into her boyfriend. 

David and Sarah actively avoided the attic. They used it sparingly as a storage space, even though it was designed to be use as a bedroom. There were just too many movies out there that showed the consequences of white people interacting with attics, and they didn’t plan to live out a horror story. But when Gwen came to David panicking over what the woman was going to do, he couldn’t stop himself from mentioning the extra space. Gwen took the offer, and moved in the next month. 

Christmas was a glorious affair, with the house full of people. Sarah moved back in for break, and each day was a new fun adventure. Gwen’s family celebrated Christmas a few days after the actual holiday, so even she was around to give and receive gifts.  It was Max’s first real Christmas, to where he actually felt wanted and he actually participated in activities. It was a drastic change to the usual huddle-under-the-covers-and-sleep-all-day tradition that he’d formed over the years. It was nice. Christine, the twin’s mom, prepared a feast in the kitchen, and they all had leftovers for days afterwards. David soaked in the flurry of activity and company, knowing that it was easily the best Christmas he’d ever had. 

The New Year came and went, and school started back up with a flurry of activity. The household went back to normal - until a new body entered the mix. Harrison Young had been in the foster system for months, ever since his eleventh birthday. It was the second-worst birthday the boy had ever had - right after the year before, where he accidentally made his brother disappear. He felt that his parents were justified in their decision; he was a monster, and he wasn’t safe to be around. All of his foster parents proved it, seeing as he was sent to a new home soon after he started showing signs of his magical abilities. He always tried to hide them, but that proved too difficult. He didn’t think he’d ever find a place where he belonged, until David and Gwen took him in. 

The house fell into a comfortable routine. Max was still snarky, but caring and happy nonetheless. Harrison was unsure of his position, but getting used to practicing his magic openly and freely, using the books that his foster parents gave him over the topic. Gwen got into the role as a parent-figure, playing the part really well for someone who’d never thought she’d be a mother. Kids were stressful and obnoxious, and they made her anxiety spike. However, she lightened up around kids, and found herself enjoying being around them. Soon they became a natural part of her life, and she couldn’t imagine not having them around.

As for David, he couldn’t be happier. Really - this was the happiest he’d ever been before. He didn’t know he was missing out on having a family, especially since he saw his mother and sister often. But nothing beat having a house full of people to love and care for. It wasn’t always easy, and he found that he was crowding them at times, but everything was forgiven and forgotten. Over time, everyone came to let David dole them attention, knowing that it made the man happy.

There were good days, and there were bad days. Stressful events, and relaxing occasions. And at the end of the day, they were still a family. 

It hadn’t even been a year, and yet everyone’s life had dramatically changed - for the better.


End file.
